Russia's Putin calls for quick development of drone forces
(Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that drones had played a major role in the conflict in Ukraine and called for the rapid development and deployment of separate drone forces within the military.
"We are currently creating unmanned systems troops as a separate branch of the military and we need to ensure their rapid and high-quality deployment and development," Russian news agencies quoted him as saying at a meeting on arms development.
Drones have played a leading role for both sides in the more than three-year-old conflict pitting Moscow against Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has since the outbreak of the war in February 2022 stressed the importance of developing a domestic drone development and production industry.
Putin told the second day of the gathering that Russia was well aware how Ukraine was dealing with the issue.
"But on the whole, I do not believe we are lagging behind on anything," he was quoted as saying. "More to the point, it seems to me we are bringing together good experience with a view to creating just such forces."
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov proposed the creation of a drone force late last year, setting a target date of the third quarter of 2025.
Putin also stressed developing air defences, which he said had destroyed more than 80,000 targets during the conflict that Russia still calls a special military operation.
"In this respect, a new state armaments programme must ensure the construction of a versatile air defence system capable of operating in any circumstances and efficiently striking air attack weapons, regardless of their type," he said.
On the opening day of the meeting, Putin called for due attention to be paid to the nuclear triad of land-based, sea-based and aircraft-launched weapons.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Nia Williams)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
15 minutes ago
- The Star
Tanzania court bans live coverage of opposition leader's treason trial
FILE PHOTO: Tanzanian opposition leader and former presidential candidate of CHADEMA party Tundu Lissu is escorted as he walks at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate Court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania April 10, 2025. REUTERS/Emmanuel Herman/File Photo DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) -A court in Tanzania on Monday banned the live coverage of treason proceedings against the East African nation's main opposition leader, Tundu Lissu, who criticised the decision. Principal Resident Magistrate Franco Kiswaga said the ban would help protect civilian prosecution witnesses, acceding to a request by the state prosecutor who said it was necessary to conceal their identities. "Live streaming, live broadcast, and any other kind of live distribution of content online to the public including on social media or video broadcast ... are hereby prohibited," Kiswaga ruled during preliminary proceedings on Monday at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court in Dar es Salaam. Lissu had already opposed the request saying that such an order would allow the court to operate in "darkness" and prevent his supporters from following the case. Officials from his CHADEMA party also criticised the court's order. "Justice must be done and be seen to be done," Lissu, who is representing himself after dismissing his attorneys, said last week. Lissu is the leader of Tanzania's biggest opposition party and has been in detention since early April after he was charged with treason and publication of false information. He has rejected the charges. Lissu, who was shot 16 times in a 2017 assassination attempt, was runner-up in the 2020 presidential election but his party has been disqualified from participating in October's presidential and parliamentary votes. His detention and unexplained abductions of government critics in recent months have shone a spotlight on the human rights record of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who says her government is committed to respecting human rights. Hassan is running for the presidency for the first time after assuming office following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli in 2021. (Editing by Elias Biryabarema, Ammu Kannampilly and Alison Williams)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
China slams Germany for 'hyping' regional tensions in Asia
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning at the regular press briefing in Beijing on Monday, August 18, 2025. -- Image via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. BEIJING (AFP): China lashed out at Germany on Monday (Aug 18), warning Berlin against "inciting confrontation and hyping up tensions" after its foreign minister said Beijing was "increasingly aggressive" in the Asia-Pacific region. During a visit to Japan, Johann Wadephul said China had made repeated threats to "unilaterally change the status quo and shift borders in its favour", citing its behaviour in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas. "Any escalation in this sensitive hub of international trade would have serious consequences for global security and the world economy," Wadephul said Monday after talks with Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya. A statement issued on Sunday before Wadephul's visit to Japan -- and later Indonesia -- said that China was "increasingly asserting its regional supremacy and, in doing so, is also questioning principles of international law." "China's increasingly aggressive behaviour in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas also has implications for us in Europe: fundamental principles of our global coexistence are at stake here," the statement quoted Wadephul as saying. China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning hit back on Monday, telling a regular news conference that the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea "remains generally stable". "We urge the relevant parties to respect regional countries, resolve issues through dialogue and consultation, and safeguard the common interest of peace and stability, instead of inciting confrontation and hyping up tensions," she said when asked about Wadephul's comments. "The Taiwan question is China's internal affair," she added. - 'War machine' support - In the joint press statement in Tokyo, Wadephul also criticised "China's support for the Russian war machine" in Ukraine. "Without it, the war of aggression against Ukraine would not be possible. China is Russia's largest supplier of dual-use goods and Russia's best oil and gas customer," Wadephul said. He also said ahead of talks later Monday between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders that security guarantees for Kyiv were "crucial". Trump's summit on Friday with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska "made it clear that for a just and lasting peace, Moscow must finally act. Until that happens, pressure on Russia must be increased, including with increased aid to Ukraine," Wadephul said. The talks on Monday in Washington are about establishing "the elements of a negotiated solution on the path to a just peace for Ukraine," he said. "Firm security guarantees are crucial for this. Because Ukraine must be able to defend itself effectively even after a ceasefire and peace agreement." -- AFP
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Russian general seriously wounded on front line, regional leader says
(Reuters) -General Esedulla Abachev, deputy commander of Russia's Northern group of forces, has been seriously wounded on the front line of the war with Ukraine, a senior official said on Monday. Abachev comes from Russia's Dagestan region, whose leader Sergei Melikov said on Telegram that he was in a serious but stable condition in "one of the best military medical centres in the country". Ukrainian military intelligence said on Sunday that Abachev had an arm and a leg amputated after being wounded in a Ukrainian strike on a Russian military column on a highway in the Kursk region of western Russia, and that he was being treated in Moscow. Reuters could not confirm those details. At least a dozen Russian generals have been killed in the war that started with Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Abachev graduated from the Higher Tank Command School in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991. He received the Gold Star of the Hero of Russia for his role in combat missions during the current war. Dagestani leader Melikov said he was the pride of the region, describing him as "a combat general and a wise commander who always tries to protect his personnel, sometimes neglecting his own safety". (Reporting by Mark Trevelyan in London; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
